Power price cut angers company

FAMILY-OWNED Sark Electricity is considering ceasing to supply the island’s power after a 14p a unit price cut was forced on it.

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Sark Electricity Limited director Andrew Gordon-Brown. (22195028)

The order was made by price control commissioner Anthony White following a consultation.

Sark Electricity registered the only objection during that process.

It means that for a year, electricity will cost 52p per kw/h with a further 3p cut on the cards after that if consumption is high.

Sark Electricity director David Gordon-Brown, pictured above, said the price cut could bankrupt the company.

But Mr White said that his analysis showed that it would not.

He said also that he did not think it was reasonable for Sarkees to pay such a high price for electricity when the power company increased prices due to hotel closures, used diesel generators exclusively, has not considered renewable energy, such as wind or solar, and ‘continues incurring unreasonable expenses’.

Mr Gordon-Brown, who said that the company has been losing money all year, believes that Chief Pleas wanted to take it over.

‘Sark Electricity is a small, family-owned company that has provided Sark with electricity for more than 50 years without any government support, help or subsidy,’ he said. ‘We have engaged with the commissioner at length. In doing so, we have demonstrated to him the many ways in which his decisions are wrong and will ultimately lead to negative outcomes for Sark.

‘The continued attempts by Sark government to take control of the company over the last eight years has now culminated in an attempt by its appointee to bankrupt the company.

'This continued pressure to force us out leaves the shareholders to consider whether it makes any sense to continue to operate the company in the face of unending hostility from our government.’